The Night Before Life Goes on
by L0V3 4 wRiting xo
Summary: They knew it was love, they always knew and one night was all they needed to prove it. But he couldn't face it and left her. Now six years later everything thing has changed, except their love for eachother. A Marthie Fanfic. Please R


**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of 7th heaven**

**if u think this story sounds a little familiar that's because before I started having problems with my old account, singlenproud89, I posted this, I made a few changes so I hop u enjoy! **

_One night, one night was all Martin Brewer and Ruthie Camden needed to change both of their lives. Ruthie was seventeen, Martin was nineteen. Ruthie had looked Martin in the eye probably for the first time sense he had told her about Sandy. That wall was cracked, that wall had been broken, the wall that was held between Ruthie and Martin for almost a year. It was the day he was moving to New York to go to college. Ruthie told Martin she loved him. It was something neither of them saw coming. Martin leaned over and kissed her. They made love that night. When Ruthie woke up that morning there was no Martin laying beside her. Instead there was a note. 'I didn't want to wake you. I left for the air port. I will always love you Ruthie, please just remember that.' at the bottom Martin signed his name. He had left. He was gone. Ruthie had called him many times, but he never did call back. Now it was six years later Ruthie was twenty three years old Martin was twenty five. _

Ruthie woke up early on Sunday morning. She glanced over to see the sleeping body of her husband beside her. She quietly crawled out of bed and walked into the living room. She opened up the door and the cold winter air reached her warm body. She walked out side a few steps and grabbed the newspaper. She closed the door and walked back into the warmth of her house. Slipping off her slippers she walked into the living room, where she took a seat on the couch and opened up the newspaper. She flipped through the sports section and into her favorite part, comics. She sat there just happily reading her Sunday comics. A few minutes later her husband walked out. He barley even gave her a glance as he walked through the living room into the kitchen where he got his coffee. Ruthie glanced up from her news paper and looked over at him. He was sitting over there just stirring his sugar into his coffee, like she wasn't even there. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him stand up from the kitchen table and once again walk right past her, back into their bedroom. Ruthie used to get mad when he did this but a lot of things had changed in their four years of marriage. This was there life now. He woke up ignored her, she ignored him. They barley said two words to each other through out the entire day. It was Ruthie's life now. Her husband came out in a suit an few minutes later. Ruthie looked up at him.

"Going to work?" she asked. He was a high status banker. He went to work basically every day. He nodded while fixing his tie in the mirror buy the front door. Ruthie just went back to her comics. She had learned not to take in personally when he just ignored her like he always did. Ruthie heard the all to familiar click of the door closing as he walked out. Ruthie sighed taking another sip of her coffee. She glanced over at the clock. 8 o'clock. She had enough time. She got up off the couch and walked into her bedroom. She dug past a pile of shoes in her closet and picked up her paints. She had begun painting shortly after her and her husband had started having marital problems. She felt relieved when she painted. Like her whole life was just being illustrated out on a canvas. She pulled on some old paint covered jeans and a old black sweatshirt walking over to the front door she slipped on her old beat up clogs. Ruthie walked across the street into the park. Past all the excited smiling children on the play ground she found the bench where she always sat. She set up her canvas and looked over at the joyful scene of children on swings, two boys playing soccer in the still dew covered fields. She started to paint. Painting away all her sadness. She felt the firm brush handle in her hand as she let the joyfulness take over her body. She peered over the top of her canvas where she saw a young dark haired man walk into the park holding hands with what she assumed was his daughter. She knew that man. The name clicked into her head. Martin. She set her paint brush down and walked over to the familiar face.

"Excuse me" she said quietly. The man turned around. There was no doubt about it, it was Martin. "I don't know if you remember me I'm..." he interrupted her.

"Ruthie Camden" Martin said smiling. Ruthie nodded.

"actually it's Ruthie Andrew's now" She held up her left hand to show him her wedding ring "I'm married now"

"Oh... wow... God it's been so long" Martin said. He knew that this was a little awkward for both of them. "Oh, this is me and Sandy's daughter, Lisa, you may remember her"

"yeah, I do" Ruthie said smiling and looking at the little girl. Lisa shyly hid behind her dad's arm.

"Well I'm meeting Sandy here for Lisa to go back home but uh... what are you doing tonight?" he asked.

"Um... nothing really why?" Ruthie replied.

"Do you wanna grab a drink or something, you know catch up?" Martin offered. Ruthie nodded.

"Sure, I'd love that" She said smiling.

"Alright so I'll see you tonight then" he said starting to walk away. Ruthie nodded.

"yeah, I'll see you tonight" She said smiling as she walked back over to her paints. She stared at Martin as he walked off into the distance and Ruthie felt that same emptiness as she did when she was reading that note at seventeen. Ruthie painted away. All day not even bothering to check the time. She was happy that day. Something about her just was over filled with joy. Today was a good day. After she was done with her painting she stood back at looked at it. It was a man and his daughter walking into the sunset. Satisfied Ruthie carried the painting back to her house. She stuck it in the back of her closet along with the paints, not wanting her husband to find it. She slipped off her jeans and slipped on some sweatpants and walked into the living room, plopping down on the couch. She turned on the TV and starting flipping through channels. She stopped on a channel that was playing an old black and white movie. She usually hated to watch these movies. They reminded her to much of what she had with Martin, and of the day it all came crashing down when he left. She glanced up at the clocks. Deciding it was soon enough to start getting dressed she walked into her bedroom and opened up the closet door. She pulled a black strapless top off on of the hangers. She then slipped on a pair of jeans with some boots. Walking into the kitchen she left a note by the phone which told her husband she went out with an old friend. Grabbing her purse off the table she walked out. When she walked out of the house she saw that same face sitting across the street in the park. She felt as if she was walking strait into the sunset as she walked over to him.

"Hey" she said walking in front of him.

"Hi" he said smiling as he got up. Ruthie looked at his face. He had changed. She noticed Martin staring at her also. She didn't look the same either. Her hair was the same length but now straight. She was older now. She wasn't that little girl anymore. Martin smiled as he asked her if she was ready to go. Ruthie nodded and followed him to his car. He opened the door to the passengers seat and let her get in and then walked to the other side of the car and got in himself. Ruthie glanced over at Martin.

"So... how have you been?" she asked trying to start conversation.

"I've been pretty good, and you?" he asked her back.

"Good" she said. She started to get that tingly version in her stomach, that way she always felt when she lied.

"So, you're married now?" He asked staring to pull away from the curb where he was parked.

"Yeah. His name is Greg. I guess you could say he's kinda famous. Not famous in the sense like paparazzi and red carpet but basically everyone in the business world knows his name" she said fiddling with her wedding ring and sort of laughing. Martin nodded.

"So are we just looking for any bar to go to?" he asked her.

"Obviously you don't know this town" Ruthie said laughing.

"What makes you say that?" he asked her.

"Most bars in this town are crappy ones, the ones where it's just a place to pick up hookers" Ruthie said. Martin looked over at her a little surprised "We can either drive for about another hour to get to a half decent bar or we can go and buy a six pack at the liquor store down the street and drink it in the car" Ruthie said looking out the window.

"I say we buy the six pack" Martin said staring at the road.

"I think we should too" Ruthie said laughing and smiling.

"So what are you doing here?" Ruthie asked him.

"Well Sandy just got an apartment up here a few months ago. I decided to get a place so I could be closer to Lisa" Martin said smiling.

"That's sweet" Ruthie said smiling. Martin nodded and returned the smile. Ruthie sensed that stiffness in the air. It had been there ever sense Martin told her Sandy was pregnant, that is until that one night, and now it was back. Ruthie glanced out the window at all the buildings zooming by.

"Martin can I ask you something?" Ruthie asked him knowing she would regret it.

"sure, anything" Martin said knowing something big was coming.

"Why'd you leave?" Ruthie asked him. Martin glanced over at in shock she just said that.

"what do you mean?" Martin asked her.

"I mean just... You never called or emailed me after that night" Ruthie said looking away from Martin. She heard him sigh. He knew this was coming up he just didn't expect it to be like this.

"I don't know what happened to be honest" Ruthie nodded and looked away.

"I am sorry" Martin added. Ruthie looked over at him and nodded.

"So am I" she said. Martin pulled into a liquor store parking lot.

"I"ll just run in and get the beer" Martin said as he opened the car door. Ruthie nodded and watched him walk in. She watched him buy the beer through the store window. When she saw his eyes meet hers she quickly glanced away. She heard the bells on the door as he walked outside. Martin got back in the car, setting the beers in the back seat as he did so. Martin started up the car and drove over to an old empty parking lot. He reached in the back seat for the beers he handed one to Ruthie and then got one himself.

"To... the past" Ruthie said sighing as she held the beer bottle up and clicked it against Martin's.

"To the past" Martin said before taking a huge sip of the much needed drink.

"So you and your husband never had any kids huh?" Martin asked Ruthie. Ruthie nodded.

"Yep. He always says that kids would take up all his time" Ruthie looked away from him. Martin looked over at Ruthie noticing that something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" Martin asked her. Ruthie slipped on a fake smile and looked over at Martin.

"Yeah I'm fine" Ruthie lied. Martin nodded and took another sip of his beer.

"I'd like to be able to say I love him" Ruthie said looking back over at Martin.

"Love who?" Martin asked her.

"My husband" Ruthie replied.

"Why can't you?"

"I never did like to lie" Ruthie said as she glared out the window. It was something that she had known for quite a while now, nut never wanted to admit it. She knew it was true. Ruthie was just an extra in his life. Someone who he didn't need. Just another obstacle to climb over. Martin looked over at Ruthie.

"You don't love him?" Martin asked her surprised.

"He doesn't give a damn about me. To him I'm just him I'm just some piece of shit" Martin stared at her in disbelief.

"You know you don't deserve that..." Martin started.

"What?" Ruthie asked confused at why he was getting so mad.

"You're a great person and anyone who would treat you like that..." Martin paused. He became overwhelmed with a feeling of anger and jealousy. "well they don't deserve you" Ruthie smiled and looked up at Martin.

"Thanks" she said.

"Don't mention it" Martin said as he stared out the window.

"You know... I thought I loved him. I thought he the the one. Now I know for sure he's not" Ruthie said smiling awkwardly and looking away from Martin.

"You just figured that out!" Martin said smiling.

"I mean... I guess I've known it for a while now but I think the one thing I still needed to know that I didn't love him, was for me to love someone else" Ruthie said. She felt her heart racing up. Her life had changed over the years but her love for Martin hadn't. He wasn't just an old flame, he was the one for her. What they had wasn't just a one night stand... but something but deeper, more passionate and loving then anything they had ever felt before.

"Who's that someone else?" Martin asked even though he already knew he wanted her to say it. He wanted this one fantasy he had, had since that night to come true.

"you" she said quietly. Martin could barley hear her. "I love you Martin..."

"I..." Martin was at a loss of words. He knew that he loved her too but for some reason he just couldn't mumble out a single word.

"Sorry I..." Ruthie began as a look of sadness spread across her face.

"No.. Ruthie don't be sorry. Be happy that you just made my dream come true" Ruthie smiled and tried to hold back the tears that were welding up behind her eyes. Martin leaned over to kiss Ruthie. As soon as their lips connected they felt the passion, desire, lust, romance, that both of them hadn't felt since that one night. Martin started to kiss down Ruthie's neck. Ruthie could feel Martin cold hand reach up her shirt. Before he removed her shirt he looked up into her eyes. Asking if it was okay. Ruthie smiled saying to go ahead. That night was what Martin and Ruthie both needed. Ruthie to know she was not in love with her husband and Martin to know that he loved Ruthie and always had. For the first time in many years Ruthie felt liked she was loved that someone needed her. She felt like she wasn't an extra anymore. That night they did more then just have sex. They connected souls.

**This was just an idea that popped into my head after I heard the song another lang syne by Dan Fogelberg. I actually started writing this on Christmas... but I never really could figure out how to end it. I know that the ending kinda sucked. But the next chapter I think will be a few months later when Martin moves into his apartment. And yes they meet again. So please read and review and tell me what you think!**


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